Music Moments
by Crispy Hobbit
Summary: My response to the Hairspray iPod Challenge.
1. Honky Cat

A/N – Ok, so here is the first story in my response to the ipod challenge. I'm doing the version where it's a one-shot/drabble per song with no time-limits. This one-shot/drabble is dedicated to Obviously Insane, as she was the one who thought doing an ipod challenge for hairspray would be a great idea and posed it to us. So this is for you Insane! I hope you like it!

Disclaimer – The song 'Honky Cat' does not belong to me, neither does the characters of Hairspray. This is for enjoyment only.

* * *

_'They said get back honky cat,_

_Better get back to the woods,_

_Well I quite those days and my redneck ways,_

_And oh the change is gonna do me good.'_

_(Elton John, 'Honky Cat')_

Michael Gerald Louis had lived on a farm for the majority of his childhood with his mother, father, sister and his grand-parents from his mother's side. He loved it there. Being around nature and animals; and he enjoyed working there, helping with all the farm animals and crops. He and his little sister always used to amuse themselves by jumping about on the bales of hay. Always under the watchful eye of their old dog, Skippy. The farm belonged to his grand-parents and his father used to work for them. That was how his parents had met, working on the farm. They fell in love, got married and had two children; Mikey and his sister Abigail.

They lived happily until Mikey turned eleven. It was then that things started to go downhill. The relationship between his parents had become strained and they admitted that they were only still together for the sake of the kids. His mother spent more time working on the farm than she did before, and his father started visiting the city.

The city intrigued young Mikey to no end. It fascinated him and he wanted nothing more than to go with his dad on one of his trips. But he couldn't. He had to stay at home and look after Abigail. Still, he was determined to go one day.

About two years later, when Mikey was thirteen, his family was split apart. His mother had found someone else, none other than his father's best friend, so they were getting divorced. Abigail would be remaining with their mother at the farm but Mikey had the option to go live with their father if he wanted to. That would mean leaving the farm and going to live in the city. The city! The place the young lad had always dreamed of going. So, of course, he jumped at the chance to go with his father.

His grand-parents told him he was foolish. He would find nothing in the city with his father. He should remain with them at the farm. But Mikey was having none of it. He wanted to go with his dad to the city and that was exactly what he was going to do.

Soon Mikey said goodbye to his old life at the farm and hello to his new life in the city. The change would do him good. He could go to a new school, start fresh, actually have friends for once. Which was exactly what he needed.

It wasn't much longer before Mikey got his spot dancing on 'The Corny Collins Show' as one of the council members. He was earning his own money! If he had stayed at the farm he would be doing the same thing day after day but now, he literally was becoming a new man.

Unfortunately his father had trouble with keeping a job so most of their income was through Mikey. But still, he never regretted moving to the city. He was happy. And now, a few years down the line, he knew he definitely made the right decision.

Seeing the happiness on Darla's face and the love in her eyes as she attached his council ring onto her necklace, he was positive. Here he was, a young man with a great job and a fantastic girl, the girl of his dreams; and all because he chose to go with his father. Yep, the change definitely did him good.

_'They said stay at home boy, you gotta tend the farm,_

_Living in the city boy, is going to break your heart,_

_But how can you stay, when your heart says no,_

_How can you stop when your feet say go?'_

_(Elton John, 'Honky Cat')_


	2. Any Other Way

A/N – A big hello and thank you to everyone who reviewed my last chapter. I really appreciate everything you said and it means a lot to me. Now onto story two. This one is dedicated to Kelsey Rose, theatrics, one of the best writers I have ever known. This is for you hun. I hope you like it.

Disclaimer – The song 'Any Other Way' and the characters of Hairspray do not belong to me.

* * *

_'There you go caught you crashin' my dreams again,_

_Just when I'm trying to get over you.'_

_(Backstreet Boys, 'Any Other Way')_

Brad was getting fed up with it now. Every time he was with a girl, his mind and thoughts were brought back to her and the moments they shared. The memories of them together were still so vivid, like they were only yesterday, when in reality it had been about two years.

He had moved on, he knew that. So had she. So why couldn't he forget about her and those stupid moments? Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he saw her every freaking day, at the studio, dancing on the show. She was the only one before him during 'Roll Call'! How could he forget, when he was forced into the same space as her every day?!

He didn't even like her any more. Not after what she had done to him. How could he? She had practically ripped his heart out and jumped up and down on it repeatedly before throwing it into the gutter. She had used him, he realised. She had used him to get closer to none other than Link Larkin, his best friend.

Yeah, he had been hurt that Link had gone behind his back with Amber. He had never felt so betrayed in all his life. It was only due to Jesse that he had managed to get through that time. It had been hard but he had done it with his friend's help. And he had moved on. But Amber had left her mark on Brad well and truly.

She kept invading his thoughts frequently, and the pain always came back every time he saw her with Link. Not only that but Brad had never quite felt for another girl like he had for Amber. He had had plenty of girls, no mistaking that. He had even tried dating one of the other council girls, Noreen. But none of them had ever lasted long. He just didn't have feelings for any of them.

There was one girl however that stirred something up inside of him, that both excited him and terrified him. Those feelings he had felt for Amber were being brought back up, but not for the blonde drama queen. No. These feelings were for a certain fiery red-head. Shelley Ambrose. The temptress who would use and abuse the male population just as much as he did the girls. There was just something about her. He couldn't explain it.

One thing he did know. This wasn't just puppy-love, a school-boy crush. No, this was something much deeper and way more meaningful. And it truly terrified him. He couldn't fall for a girl to have his heart ripped out again. He wouldn't be able to survive a second time, that was for sure. He couldn't let her see the real Brad. The Brad who felt and hurt just like everyone else. The Brad who was human. Not the egotistical player persona that he used as a shield. No, the shield would have to remain in place, for his very survival.

He would rather be slapped by her sharp fingernails then have her know about this power she had over him. She would use him as a toy for her own amusement and enjoyment, and he would be powerless to resist. He couldn't let that happen. These feelings had to be quashed. Or at least kept hidden deep inside from everyone and everything. Better to play around, safely behind the façade he had created then let his guard down and be hurt again. No. Brad Webster would never be used again.

_'Now you've carved out a life,_

_But I wear the scars,_

_Reminding me by the hour.'_

_(Backstreet Boys, 'Any Other Way')_


	3. High Flying, Adored

A/N – Well here is the third story for my entry and I'm taking on a character I have never attempted before. I hope I do her justice. A big thank you to everyone who reviewed my last chapter. I really appreciate it! This one is dedicated to Tracy, writergirl2003. She is one of the friendliest people I have ever talked to and she is a fantastic writer. She is also the best at writing this character. This if for you, Tracy. I hope you like it.

Disclaimer – The song 'High Flying, Adored' does not belong to me, neither does the characters from Hairspray.

* * *

_'High flying, adored,  
So young, the instant queen,  
A rich beautiful thing, of all the talents,  
A cross between a fantasy of the bedroom and a saint.'_

If you asked anyone who the top girl on the Corny Collins Show was, they would all answer with the same name; Amber von Tussle, daughter of the station manager, Velma von Tussle, had danced on the show ever since it first started out and had won the Miss Teenage Hairspray Pageant every year. Of course this made her the lead girl. She was beautiful, rich, popular... every girl dreamed they could be like Amber von Tussle, and every guy wished they could date her. She was the queen of Patterson Park High School, and everybody knew it.

When she had been a little girl she had always aspired to be a star. Be it on television or stage, that was what she wanted. She had never dreamed that she would get to be as big of a star and as popular as she was. She was IT. Of course, her mother had always said her daughter would get everything she wanted and more. Her daughter would be successful. She would be popular. She would be the Queen Bee. But Amber had never really believed she would get all that. But she did. And she could not believe her luck. These thoughts warped over time. She deserved all the fame and glory. She was the best on the show. She was the best, period. She was no longer lucky, it was her right.

_'High flying, adored,  
Did you believe in your wildest moments,  
All this would be yours,  
That you'd become the lady of them all?'_

_  
_Now that she was the most popular young lady in all of Baltimore, she began to aspire for bigger and better things. She had to become the most popular actress, singer and dancer in all of America and then the world. She would make it. Of course she would. With her talent, there was no doubt. Her mother said she could do it, she would do it. But at the moment there was nothing more she could do, but be the star of the Corny Collins Show. Not until after college anyway.

But things were starting to fall apart. Link Larkin, resident heart-throb, lead guy on the Corny Collins Show, and her boyfriend had started acting strangely. It seemed like he was loosing interest in Amber. She caught him staring after the short chubby girl that was in some of their classes. She had heard from Brad that they had run into her whilst skipping class. Apparently she was in the detention room dancing with the dark kids. Why, she would want to was beyond Amber. But then, the blonde girl didn't really care.

_'High flying, adored,  
What happens now, where do you go from here?  
__For someone on top of the world,  
The view is not exactly clear.'_

What she did care about was the fact that Link had invited, no, told her to dance like she was then, at the hop, in front of Corny. Did he seriously want that girl on the show? Was he mad? And what was worse, that girl did dance like that and she did get on the show. And Amber felt her grasp slowly slipping away from her. Link was showing less interest in her and focusing all his attention on Tracy Turnblad, that was the chubby girls name.

Her friends, Lou Ann, Tammy and Becky, as loyal as they were, had started to become distant. They didn't join in with Amber during her tirades. They took longer to react to her tears. They had branched away from her. Talking to the other council girls more. And not just any girls. No. They had begun to talk to the ultimate evil... Shelley. What was going on?

_'High flying, adored,  
I hope you come to terms with boredom,  
So famous so easily, so soon,  
It's not the wisest thing to be.'_

Her mother assured her that it was just a faze. Link would come back to her. Her friends would all return, just as loyal as they were before. And Amber believed her. At least she had, until Link deliberately got himself a detention with Tracy. And then, to top it off, he had gotten on a bus with her, her lollipop loving friend and the Negroes! Then, she knew, she had lost Link... she pretended to the world that he was still hers, but she knew. She would get him back though, she had to!

Things like this could not happen to her! She could not become yesterdays news to a girl like Tracy Turnblad. She was the complete opposite of Amber. She was short, chubby and just not normal in Amber's eyes. Whilst she was perfect. She was beautiful, talented... She was IT! Only now, IT didn't seem to be the 'in-thing' any more. But Amber would not let that stand. There was still the Miss Teenage Hairspray Pageant. She would win it, hands down. Of course she would. She won it every year. This one would be no different. Would it?

_'You won't care if they love you,  
It's been done before,  
You'll despair if they hate you,  
You'll be drained of all energy,  
All the young who've made it would agree.'_

_(Evita, 'High Flying, Adored')_


End file.
